Three soldiers were killed in a crash involving two military helicopters in Alaska on Thursday, according to reports.
The U.S. Army reported that three soldiers were killed and one more injured when two AH-64 Apache helicopters collided in midair. The two helicopters from the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, were returning from a training exercise.
“Two soldiers were declared dead at the scene of the crash and a third died en route to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. The fourth soldier is being treated at Fairbanks Memorial for injuries sustained in the crash,” the Army said in a press release.
Maj. Gen. Brian Eifler, commanding general of the 11th Airborne Division, expressed his sympathies to the families of the victims in a statement.
"This is an incredible loss for these soldiers' families, their fellow soldiers, and for the division. Our hearts and prayers go out to their families, friends and loved ones, and we are making the full resources of the Army available to support them." -MG Brian Eifler pic.twitter.com/IEw6jzus4R
— Eleventh Airborne (@11thAirborneDiv) April 28, 2023
“This is an incredible loss for these soldiers’ families, their fellow soldiers, and for the division,” Eifler said. “Our hearts and prayers go out to their families, friends and loved ones, and we are making the full resources of the Army available to support them.”
“The Fort Wainwright community is one of the tightest military communities I’ve seen in my 32 years of service. I have no doubt they will pull together during this exceptional time of need and provide comfort to our families of our fallen,” he continued.
This comes as military crashes have become more frequent as of late thanks to challenges with the units’ flying aircraft and budget issues leading to spare parts shortages.
In March, nine soldiers were killed when two HH-60 Blackhawk helicopters collided during a training exercise at Fort Campbell.
“The crewmembers were flying two HH60 Blackhawk helicopters during a routine training mission when the incident occurred. The status of the crew members are unknown at this time. The command is currently focused on caring for the servicemembers and their families,” Brendalyn Carpenter-Player, the director of Fort Campbell Public Affairs, told Fox News at the time.
It’s still unclear what caused the crash, but an eyewitness told WSMV that the two helicopters were flying lower than usual.
“So it’s nothing out of the norm to see helicopters, we see them all the time. But tonight there were two that were coming kind of straight up over our house, headed straight northbound. About a minute later, they were coming across and there was a large explosion in the sky, almost [looking] like a firework went off. And then the entire tree line lit up,” the witness said.
